


Our Last Summer

by Trash_TrashAF



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Eventual Relationships, Flashbacks, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, LGBTQ Characters, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10973742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash_TrashAF/pseuds/Trash_TrashAF
Summary: Keith wakes up to find himself in the hospital and has to stay there for a week. Sentenced to bed rest, he starts to dream of his junior year of high school and how things changed...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So! This idea came to me and I was like 'why not write Klance'  
> To give a bit of background, Keith was adopted by Shiro's family, who are generally gone away on business trips. Shiro and Matt are in college, been dating since highschool.  
> Keith is currently a highschool senior in the present time, the flashbacks with Lance are all in his junior year
> 
> Also: I do not know a lot about actual hospitals/surgery but I'll try my best. And rating is for language and some future minor implied scenes.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

_ Inhale _

 

Riding on top a cart, thin mattress underneath

 

_ Focus _

 

Yells above, lights flash by, doors slamming open

 

_ Grab _

 

Masked faces, eyes on him

 

_ Pin _

 

Beeping, cover over his nose

 

_ Pain _

 

Sounds fade away, darkness takes over

 

***

 

“-gane? Mr. Kogane? Keith? Can you hear me?” Keith slowly squints his eyes against the brightness of the white room before letting them shut. “Y-yeah.”

 

“Ah, fantastic. I assume you’re wondering what happened?”

 

“That would be a safe assumption.” he groans out and hears a quiet chuckle.

 

“Kidney failure.” his eyes snap open before he winces, immediately regretting the brightness. He blinks a few times to tone it down and starts to sit up, only to have a hand press him back into the bed. 

 

“No no, don’t move. You’re going to be getting plenty of rest while you’re here.” he frowns at the doctor before slowly laying back down. “So...kidney failure.”

 

“Yes. Due to high blood pressure. We weren’t sure of the cause until we called your brother-”

 

“You called Shiro??” the hand has to force him back down into the bed as he tries to sit up. “Yes. Your parents didn’t respond so we had to leave a voicemail. So he was the next best thing…”

 

“He...he’s busy with college! He can’t- he shouldn’t-”

 

“Keith.” he turns his head to the doctor, who gives him a stern but warm look. “Someone needed to know to take care of you once you leave here. Even so, that won’t be for a week.” the doctor stands up. “Your phone is on the table beside you if you would like to make some calls. Be quick though: I’m sure you’re quite sore and tired. You won’t be awake for much longer.” he eyes them as they walk out the door. 

 

It clicks shut and he immediately reaches over, snatching the cell up. He flips through his contacts and clicks on ‘Shiro’ before holding the phone up to his ear. After a few rings a voice comes on.

 

“Hey it’s Shiro, leave a mes-” he clicks the ‘End’ button. “Figures.” he grumbles as he exits out of the screen. He starts to scroll through his texts, seeing no new ones. He sighs softly and is about to exit to the homescreen when a name catches his eye. He swallows hard, his thumb hovering over the ‘Call’ button. He lets his eyes slide shut before letting his thumb drop onto the screen and bringing the phone to his ear.

 

He feels his heartbeat pick up as the phone stops ringing. “Hey-”

 

“Yo it’s Lance! I must be getting biz-zay or I would have picked up the phone!” he feels the disappointment rest heavily on his shoulders. “Anyways, I’ll get back to you when I get a chance!” Keith waits a moment for the beep to sound.

 

“Hey...i-it’s Keith. Keith….Kogane...though you probably know that.” he huffs out a small laugh before going silent. “It’s been awhile...I was...just hoping to hear your voice...I had. Well. A bit of a health scare. I’m fine now though!” his hand grazes along his side and he can feel the stitches. Huh. They found a kidney really fast. He realizes he’s still on the phone and clears his throat.

 

“It’s..been a year...but I was hoping to maybe see you this summer. Graduation, right? If you’re not too busy...I would love to drive down to see you. I’m taking the year off so I can come at any point. You can set the date!” he sighs softly. “Anyways...give me a call when you get this…” he slowly pulls the phone away from his ear and ends the call. He stares silently at Lance’s profile picture. The dark skinned Cuban grins cheekily back at him, winking. A dumb selfie that he had taken himself. 

 

Keith sighs and turns the screen off before setting the phone back onto the table. He slinks back down into the bed, his eyes feeling heavy. He doesn’t resist, letting them slide shut and darkness consuming him.

 

***

 

“This is some fucking bullshit right here.” Keith growls out, glaring at the paper before looking up, staring daggers into the tall lanky flirt from across the room. He hears a snort and glances behind him as Pidge sits back into her seat. 

 

“You got Lance? Seriously??” Keith groans and lets his head thunk against the desk. “That’s rough buddy.”

 

“I have to work with him. All. Year. Long.”

 

“Half a year to be technical.”

 

“Shut up Pidge.” He slowly raises his head as Lance gets handed his piece of paper, He sees the smile drop from his face and his gaze meets Keith’s, eyes narrowing at him. He abruptly stands up but a look from their teacher has him thunking back down into his desk. 

 

“Now as you all know, there will be no switching partners. This project is not due until the end of the semester, but do not wait until the last minute. Together, you must make a display on whatever subject you chose out of this bowl.” she picks up a large blue bowl off her desk and shakes it. “Get creative or you’ll be taking this class again next semester. I will also need an 1,000 word paper from each and everyone of you on your personal gain from this project.”

 

She sets the bowl once again on her desk. “Get with your partner and take a slip. The rest of the period is free for you to discuss your project. If it gets too loud-” she glares threateningly around, causing some of the students to shrink into their desks. “I will assign 100 pages to be read by tomorrow.” she settles into her desk. 

 

The class watches her warily before starting to slowly get into small groups. Keith watches Lance stand and stalk to the bowl, snatching out a slip. He sees his eyes widen in shock before glancing to the bowl, almost as if considering putting it back. He backs away from it as more students crowd around it and plops back into his desk. 

 

Keith watches as a bigger guy looks over Lance’s shoulder and pats him on the back. “God, I wonder what’s so bad that Hunk is even sympathetic to him.” Pidge sniggers. Keith rolls his eyes at her before standing up, carrying all of his stuff in one arm. He walks up to Lance’s desk and drops his stuff into an empty desk, swiveling it to face the taller.

 

“Alright, so we’re partners. My as well get over it right now.” Keith grumbles before holding out his hand. Lance eyes him before dropping the crumpled paper into his hand. “Here then.”

 

He rolls his eyes again and unfolds the paper. He stares down at the writing.

 

“You’re...are you….what-”

 

“I know, right?” Lance snorts, leaning back on his chair. “At least we have an expert on the team.”

 

Keith snorts. “You’re an expert at love?”

 

“Sure. Got all the guys and girls wanting a piece of this.” he jerks a thumb towards himself, smirking.

 

“Which is why you’re still single.” Lance huffs at him, chair slamming back down onto all fours. “Nobody can handle me.”

 

“Yeah. Sure. That’s it. Can we just-” he holds a hand up to stop Lance from retorting. “-get a game plan in motion? I mean. How do you do a display on love. There’s no way either of us have felt it.”

 

“Speak for yourself.” Lance rolls his eyes. “I’ve felt plenty.”

 

“That’s lust.”

 

“No, platonic love you dense fuck.” Lance eyes the teacher, making sure she didn’t hear him. Keith frowns at him, glaring slightly. “Is that an orphan joke.”

 

“What-no! I didn’t-!” he huffs in frustration and lets his head thunk onto the desk. “Look. Like you said. We need to get along. Why don’t you just...I don’t know, write some bullshit about what you think love is and I’ll do the same and we’ll figure it out, alright?”

 

“Lance McClain I refuse to just slap something together.” Keith growls. “We may hate each other but I refuse to get a bad grade over this.”

 

“...you think I’m stupid don’t you?” Lance stands abruptly, glaring down at him. “I work hard to keep my grades at A’s and B’s. But no, you, the ‘gifted’ child just gets it easily. No studying required.” Keith opens his mouth but the bell interrupts him. Lance turns sharply on his heel, long legs striding out of the room. Keith sucks in a breath and slowly counts to ten as the others walk around him and out the door. He watches everyone slowly filter out before snatching up his books and walking out as well.

 

***

 

Keith walks into the cafeteria and scans until he sees Pidge. He smirks slightly as he sees her with an open laptop, ignoring a half eaten lunch. He walks over and sits across from her. “Late schoolwork?”

 

“You’re funny emo boy.” she snorts, eyes never straying from the screen. “You know damn well I’m never late.”

 

“No, no, you just hack into teachers computers and get the work early so that you can fuck off the rest of the semester.”

 

She glances up to him and raises a brow. “I wish. There’s too many paper assignments for that. Though it is fun to see the personal files that are on them. Comes in handy when they want to get me in trouble for coding on my laptop instead of doing an assignment.” her eyes go back to the screen. “Which I still don’t get what’s the point in trying to get me in trouble. I still turn in all my assignments and do well on the tests.”

 

Keith pulls out a sandwich from his lunch pack. “Well, considering it’s a new year and new teachers...they don’t understand yet.”

 

Pidge groans. “I know, it’s so annoying. Teachers should gossip or something.”

 

Keith snorts and bites into his sandwich. “We’re only a few weeks in. Give them a couple months.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” she looks above her laptop at him. “You gonna keep bothering me?”

 

“Probably. You’re kinda the only one here at the table.”

 

She rolls her eyes before they look over his shoulder. “Not for long. Don’t look now but Hunk and your partner in crime are walking over.”

 

“Fuck.” he hisses under his breath before taking another bite out of his food.

 

“Hey Pidge, Keith.” Hunk greets, setting his tray down beside Keith. Lance sits across from him, beside Pidge, who is quick to shut her laptop. “Yo.” she greets back as Lance smirks a bit. 

 

“Hiding porn on your laptop?” he grins, causing her to give him a glare. 

 

“Yes Lance, because watching porn is my favorite pastime and not some other boy’s favorite hobby.” he gaps at her.

 

“I’m offended you think that way, I am  _ such  _ a gentleman-”

 

“Lance, buddy, I borrowed your computer once, it was not a pretty sight.” Hunk says as picks up his fork.

 

“ _ HUNK! _ ” Lance gasps as Keith and Pidge snicker. “I thought we were bros!”

 

“I think we’ve gone beyond ‘bros’ dude. I’m practically your husband at this point with how much I know.”

 

Pidge howls in laughter as Lance turns red. “I came here to have a good time and honestly am feeling so attacked right now.” he grumbles, causing Keith to snort. He glares a bit at him.

 

“At least I don’t have a mullet. That’s just about as embarrassing.” Keith raises a brow.

 

“Nah, I think being caught with porn is still worse.”

 

“Not like you never watched it, with how alone you are.” Lance retorts, smirking. Keith rolls his eyes. 

 

“With how busy my schedule is? Weight training, work, homework and sleep is all I have time for.”

 

“Think you’re going to take the Championship again this year?” Hunk asks.

 

“Hell yeah.” Keith grins. Lance looks confused. “Championship?”

 

“Do you live under a rock?” Pidge asks, eyeing him. “Your self proclaimed rival here wrestles.”

 

Hunk turns to Lance. “Seriously?”

 

“I don’t keep up on sports.” Lance grumbles as he pushes his food around on his tray before shoving some into his mouth. Hunk shakes his head. “It’s a sad day when a Holt knows more than about sports than a McClain.”

 

“Actually, that’s all I really keep up on. Kinda hard not to when it’s the school’s best sport. Aside from the one year when the football team dominated. Though Matt kept up on that more than me.”

 

Lance chuckles. “That’s because he was banging the football star.”

 

“Hey! That’s my brother you’re talking about!” Keith says, crossing his arms but his smirk gives away that he’s not actually offended. “Even so, they’re still happily together. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shiro popped the question.”

 

“Is that confirmed or are you guessing here? Cause Matt might die of shock or combust if it happens.” Pidge levels her gaze at him as he shakes his head. “Complete guess. Don’t give Matt any hints.”

 

Her eyes gleam mischievously, causing him to frown. “Pidge. I’m serious.”

 

“Fiiine. I won’t get his hopes up.” she grumbles as she stands, sliding her laptop under her arm. “I’m heading to computers class. Bell is about to ring.”

 

“Shit!” Lance exclaims as she walks away, starting to shovel food into his mouth. Hunk chuckles lowly and stands before walking away as well to toss the paper on his tray away. Keith looks after both of them before his gaze returns to Lance. He laughs as Lance glances up to him, cheeks puffed out with mashed potato on his chin. 

 

“Wuff.” he asks and frowns a bit before swallowing. “What.”

 

Keith taps his chin. “You got something here.” Lance frowns more and swipes at his chin, smearing it all over his lower face. “Is it gone?”

 

“No-you just- ugh, use a napkin man.” he pulls one out of his lunch box and hands it to him. He snatches it up and starts rubbing at his lower face, cleaning it off.

 

“..Thanks.” he says quietly. Keith nods slightly in response and stands as the bell rings. Lance jumps up and rushes to the garbages, dumping his tray before slapping it onto the stack of trays and rushing to join the crowd to get to class.

 

Keith rolls his eyes and starts to leave the table before he notices a jacket hanging off the bench. He sighs and picks it up. “Dumbass forgot his jacket.” he starts following the sea of students into the locker bay and looks around. Not seeing Lance, he hesitates before putting the jacket into his locker and pulling his books out. “He’ll get it eventually.” he shuts the door and heads off to class.

 

***

 

Keith wakes up with a start, finding the room blissfully dark. He frowns a bit and slowly sits up, glancing at the time. “2 am…” he whispers before sinking back into the bed. He wipes at his face, feeling the wetness. He covers his eyes with a hand.

 

Seeing Lance in his dreams had been a real shocker. Especially since they were real events that had passed. He huffs. 

 

“Must be the medication.” he murmurs. He reaches down, running his fingers over the scar and wincing slightly from the pain. He inhales deeply and slowly rolls onto his side. He can feel liquid seep into his veins as he moves and rests his head on the pillow. 

 

As his eyelids begin to grow heavy again he can practically feel the ghost of the lengthy body pressed up against him, arm slung around his waist to keep him close. He can feel their face buried into his neck.

  
“ _ Lance _ .” 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to start on a project 101

Keith watches as the last of the doctors walk out of the room and relaxes back onto the bed. They had woken him up early in the morning to do some tests to make sure his body isn’t rejecting the kidney. Oddly, his body was taking it really well, but they still had him on the medication to make sure he wouldn’t reject it. 

 

He hears the door re open and tenses, bracing himself for more tests, only to see Shiro walk in. He can see the worried lines etched in his face and the bags under his eyes from across the room. The older stops, the door shutting quietly behind him. Keith gives a slight grin and lifts his hand. “Hey.”

 

Shiro swallows visibly and approaches the bed. “How are you doing?” he asks, pulling a chair up to it.

 

“Been better.” Keith shrugs.

 

“No kidding.” Shiro practically snorts, giving a bit of a grin. It disappears almost as quickly as it comes.

 

“..So they told me that had to do a pretty quick transplant.” Keith rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

 

“That’s what I was told.”

 

“They said it was because your kidney was pretty damaged...a really advanced-”

 

“Shiro. What are you getting at.” Keith watches him through narrowed eyes.

 

“How long have you had pains going on.” he questions, staring him down. Keith tenses up. 

 

“I...uh…”

 

“And why did you ignore them, Keith? You could have died! You were close to-”

 

“I know!” Keith spits out, causing Shiro to snap his mouth shut. “They weren’t anything out of the normal! It’s wrestling season!”

 

“You didn’t think it was odd you were getting dizzy during the matches?”

 

“Not when you’re practically in a choke hold.” Shiro opens his mouth to retort before letting it close. He sighs softly and rests his hands on the side of the bed. They both go quiet, lost in their own thoughts.

 

Keith watches his hands and sees the gold band wink at him from his left one. “..So how’s Matt?”

 

Shiro chuckles a bit. “You’re in the hospital and want to ask about my fiance?” 

 

Keith shrugs a bit. “Better topic than getting riled up about about me.” Shiro nods slightly in agreement.

 

“He’s fine...he wanted to come with but I told him to stay. He needs to focus on his studies. Plus, he wouldn’t get a break since you’re not family.” he gives a small smile. “My professors said they’d extend my assignments and send them to me over the computer while I’m here.”

 

“That’s good….I was upset when they called you up.”

 

“Why?” he raises a brow. 

 

“Well..you have college to worry about. I’m not as impo-”

 

“ _ Keith _ .” Shiro interrupts. “You’ll always be more important than any college assignments and tests. You’re family.” the look he gives him causes any retort on Keith’s lips to die. He swallows a bit and feels a wave of tiredness overcome him. He settles back down onto the bed. 

 

“Are you alright?” Shiro asks worriedly. Keith huffs out a laugh.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. They’ve been keeping me under with medication.”

 

“Ah...I should probably leave you to sleep...unless you want me to stay…” Keith waves him off. 

 

“Go do your homework and Skype your fiance. I’ll shoot you a text when I’m awake.” his vision starts to blur and he blinks a bit, trying to refocus. He feels a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Okay Keith. I’ll see you later.” his voice fades out as the world goes black once again.

 

***

 

“Guys, it’s Friday! We should do movie night!” Lance exclaims, sitting down with a thunk beside Keith.

 

“Shhh!” the study hall teacher hisses at him, causing him to flinch and dip his head apologetically. 

 

“Sorry dude, I work tonight.” Hunk says quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the teacher. “And then I have Forensics tomorrow morning. So I’ll be gone all weekend.”

 

“Pidge?” Lance questions, looking over to her. She glances at him over her book. 

 

“No can do. Theatre practice.”

 

“Theatre?? I didn’t know you act.”

 

“She doesn’t.” Hunk interrupts. “She’s on the tech crew because the cute female lead asked her if she’d do i-ow!” Pidge elbows him hard in the side, causing him to glare a bit at her. “What?”

 

“Ooooo Pidge’s got a crush~” Lance sing-songs, getting a smoldering look from Pidge before she leans forward and yanks him by his collar. 

 

“One more word about it and I’ll yank out those pretty vocal cords of your so you can never say a shitty pick up line again.” she growls. Keith smirks as he sees Lance start to sweat and nod frantically. Pidge lets go and he plops back into his seat. He glances towards Keith and groans softly.

 

“Well I don’t want to go to the theatre with you mullet.” Keith frowns.

 

“I couldn’t go there anyways. Have to save money to buy food while the family’s gone.”

 

Lance leans on the table and sighs dramatically. “No one free...I’ll be so bored.”

 

Pidge raises a brow at him. “Don’t you two have a project to work on? Have you even started it?”

 

“...No.” Lance admits, causing Hunk to frown at him. “You told me you two were meeting regularly one it!!”

 

“I could have answered that for you, why didn’t you ask me?” Keith snaps.

 

“You four better get quieter or I’ll separate all of you.” the teacher says, causing them all to jump slightly.

 

“Sorry Ms. R.” Hunk murmurs, the other three muttering apologies of their own. The table goes quiet, all intently focusing on their studies. Lance glances up at the teacher before leaning forward again.

 

“So what if we haven’t started. It’s not due for like two months.”

 

“That’s two months you don’t have. Get moving on it dude before I tell your mother about it.”

 

Lance gasps quietly. “You  _ wouldn’t _ .”

 

Hunk raises a brow. “You and me know I would. Your mother loves me.” Lance grumbles and looks downward.

 

“You could watch movies and work on the project.” Pidge suggests, turning the page.

 

“And how-”

 

“Your project’s on love right? Well, you can’t just write about platonic love, that’s boring.” she glances up. “Watch some romantic movies together.”

 

“Ugh, that sounds like a date.” Keith groans.

 

“Dates are usually part of romance.” Hunk points out, getting glares from both Keith and Lance.

 

“EITHER way, it would leave you less bored and have both of you getting started on the project.” Pidge says, eyeing them both. Keith and Lance look to each other, almost like sizing the other up.

 

“Fine.” Keith finally says. “I don’t have a lot of movies though. Pretty much just Netflix.”

 

Lance sighs. “I have some DVDs. I’ll just go home on the bus and walk to your place.”

 

“You don’t have a car?”

 

“Uh no. Can’t afford it and the parents are at work.”

 

“I could just drive you there and take you back to my place.” Keith suggests. Lance raises a brow. 

 

“Really?”

 

“Sure. It’ll be faster.” Lance narrows his eyes at him, looking him over. 

 

“...What do I owe you.”

 

“What? Nothing.”

 

Lance snorts. “Uh huh. I believe that.”

 

Keith sighs and drags a hand through his hair. “Look, we need to get a start on this. You don’t owe me anything.” Lance watches him for a bit longer before looking down. “Alright...thanks.”

 

“It’s no problem.”

 

***

 

“YOU RIDE A MOTORCYCLE?” Lance squeaks out, staring at the red bike. 

 

“Yup.” Keith pulls out his key, sitting on it before starting it. He kicks up the kickstand, foot on the ground to keep it up. He pulls a helmet off the bike and offers it to Lance, who’s still standing in place, staring at it. Keith smirks.

 

“You aren’t chicken, are you?” 

 

“N-no!” Lance snaps, taking the helmet from his hand. He approaches the bike and pauses. 

 

“What about you…?”

 

“I’ll be fine without one. Just put it on and get on.” he hesitates before slipping the helmet over his head and climbing on behind him. Keith snorts.

 

“You’re going to want to sit close so you don’t throw off the weight.” he hears him grumble before moving closer. As he starts to pull out of the space he hears Lance yelp and holds back a snigger as his arms snake around him tightly. 

 

“I might need some direction, but I think I remember where you live.” Keith says as he pulls up to the stop sign out of the parking lot. He feels a nod against his back. He glances back at him before smirking and taking off.

 

Lance would never live down the girly scream that came out of him.

 

Keith laughs as he drives down the road, Lance clinging tightly to him, nails practically digging into his stomach. “Isn’t this great?” Keith calls over the wind, a muffled yell of “Fuck no!” coming back from Lance. He slows down to the stop light and looks over his shoulder. Lance shakes slightly, grip deathly. 

 

“Left, right?” he asks. Lance glances up slightly, giving a sharp nod before burying his face back down into his back. Keith raises a brow before looking back forward. Once the light changes he takes off again, feeling Lance grip him once again. 

 

As he navigates through the town he can practically feel Lance gain his confidence back. His grip loosens a bit and he starts to sit up straighter to look around. Keith takes one last turn before pulling into Lance’s driveway. He turns off the motorcycle and flips the kickstand down. Lance lets go of him and slowly gets off the back. He pulls off the helmet and Keith laughs.

 

“What??” Lance scowls.

 

“Your hair, oh my god.” Keith laughs harder. Lance frowns and starts to frantically pet his hair down.

 

“Shut up, mullet, you should see yours.” he grumbles, shoving the helmet back to him. Keith slowly manages to calm down as he hooks the helmet back onto the bike. Lance heads towards the house and pauses, looking back to him. “You’re welcome to come with.”

 

“O-oh. Ah. Okay.” Keith hesitates before getting off the bike. He follows him through the door and is immediately hit with the smell of spice and warmth.

 

“I’m home mamá.” Lance calls. Keith follows quietly after him as they walk into the kitchen. A short woman stands over the stove, sealing a pot with a lid. She smiles brightly at Lance and she leans up to give him a quick kiss. 

 

“Mi hijo, welcome. Can you take over for un momento?” he nods and she quickly walks out of the kitchen. He stands over the stove and pulls the lid off the pot, stirring the rice a bit before sealing it again. Lance gives an apologetic grin to Keith. 

 

“Sorry. We might be here until she gets the siblings.”

 

“That’s fine.” Keith shrugs. The woman bustles back into the kitchen, snagging the keys off the wall hook. 

 

“I’ll be back!” she stops as she seems to notice Keith. She looks to Lance.

 

“We’re you-” he waves his hand.

 

“Esperaremos. Go ahead.” she hesitates a minute longer before nodding. “Gracias Lance.” she disappears from sight and they can hear the door close behind her. Keith smiles a bit and glances to Lance. 

 

“Mama’s boy.” Lance frowns and sticks his tongue out at him.

 

***

 

“Okay, so what should we watch first?” Lance questions from his place on the floor, flipping through the cases.

 

“I don’t know, chose one.” Keith replies, sitting cross legged on the couch with an empty plate on the table beside him. When Lance’s mother had come back with the two younger siblings, Lance had explained that they were working a project together and needed to borrow movies before going to Keith’s. She had insisted that they each bring home plates of food instead of ordering take out. It had been very delicious.

 

“Okay, Deadpool.” Keith gaps at him.

 

“You call that a romantic movie?”

 

“It kinda is.” Lance sniggers, causing Keith to roll his eyes. Lance sighs. “Okay, you suggest a movie than mullet.”

 

“Brokeback Mountain.” he sees Lance go red and look away. Keith frowns. “What’s wrong with it?”

 

“I...kinda only watch that with guys I want to make out with. I’d like it not to be ruined.” Keith feels his face heat up but the frown stays in place.

 

“Seriously.”

 

“Hey! It works!”

 

“Well it doesn’t work if the other party isn’t interested in you.” Keith points out. They both go silent, staring at the floor. Keith sighs and gets up, looking through the movies spread on the floor. His eyes land on one and he hesitates before picking it up. Lance looks over to him.

 

“Lilo and Stitch? Seriously? My mother threw that one in”

 

“Well….it’s technically platonic love…” he mumbles a bit.

 

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Lance questions, standing and walking closer to him.

 

“I said it’s also kinda my favorite movie...and I haven’t seen it in awhile.” he braces himself for Lance to laugh at him, but it never comes. Instead, he plucks it out of his hand and pops it into the DVD player. Keith raises a brow, but doesn’t say anything as he gets up. He sits back on the couch and Lance joins him, DVD remote and volume remote in each hand. Keith reaches over and shuts off the lamp. The movie starts.

 

***

 

“Why. Why did we watch Sweeny Todd.”

 

“I needed a break, we just watched 50 First Dates and Clueless. I wanted some darker romance.” Keith retorts. Lance rolls his eyes and gets up. He shivers as the blanket drops away from him and quickly switches out the DVDs before diving back onto the couch. “Why is your house so cold!?”

 

“Less electricity and I like it like this.” Lance huffs and pulls more of the blanket to him. Keith eyes him before looking at the title screen.

 

“...Titanic?”

 

“Classic romance.” Lance retorts. Keith sighs and clicks the play button.

 

***

 

It’s almost to the end of the movie when Keith hears it. 

 

He turns to Lance and is shocked to see him a blubbering mess. He rubs at his face with the blanket, wiping away the tears. “Lance?” he questions softly, causing the other to jerk and side eye him before looking away.

 

“It’s just..um...the upcoming scenes...I…” he trails off and buries his face into the blanket, shaking. Keith hesitates before shifting closer and resting a hand lightly on his back. “Hey….hey it’s alright.” he says softly. He doesn’t expect Lance to turn and latch onto him, practically flattening him onto his back. 

 

“It’s so tragic! ‘I’ll never let go’. It’s just.” he starts to sob again and Keith hesitates before holding him close. He manages to flip off the TV and gently trails his fingers up and down Lance’s back. He rests his chin on top of his head.

 

After a few minutes Lance’s sobs start to subside and his shaking comes to a stop. Keith still doesn’t let go though, fingers absently moving.

 

“..I’m sorry.” he says quietly and slowly pulls away. He looks over his shoulder and his eyes go round.

 

“3am? Oh shit, I should-” a yawn escapes from him “-I should really go home.” he starts to stand, allowing Keith to sit up.

 

“...You could just spend the night here.” Keith says slowly. Lance swallows.

 

“No, I couldn’t impede-”

 

“Dude.” Keith interrupts. “It’s not a big deal.” Lance hesitates before sitting back down. Keith takes the remote and switches the TV over to the Roku screen. He selects Netflix and starts to scroll through it. 

 

“Let’s watch one more thing.” he looks through the list. Lance grabs his wrist. “That one.” he says, staring at the screen. Keith looks over to him before selecting it. 

 

“How To Train Your Dragon?”

 

“Don’t you dare tell me you hate it.”

 

“No, I just...haven’t seen it.” Lance gasps.

 

“What? No way! It’s fantastic.” Keith sets aside the remote and Lance presses against him. “You’re gonna love it.”

 

***

 

They’re halfway through the movie when Lance’s head drops onto his shoulder. He glances to see him passed out. He frowns slightly and shakes him lightly.

 

“Lance.” he gets a grumble in response, but nothing else. Keith sighs softly and lets his head rest against the back of the couch. He lets his eyes close.

 

***

 

Keith finds himself staring at the ceiling in the dark, the only sound of the heart monitor that’s attached to him. The dream was so vivid...and he even remembers what happened that next morning. His neck had been so sore, but looking back on it...worth it.

 

He remembers Lance already being awake and rummaging through his fridge, looking for food. When he had questioned Keith about what he had for breakfast and the reply had been ‘Frozen dinners’, Lance had been offended.

 

He huffs out a laugh, remembering how he had been pushed out of the way so Lance could ‘actually cook for the poor pale mullet boy’.

  
It had been one of the best meals he had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People...seem to like this? I know I'm having fun writing :D
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of work outs and musicals

Keith frowns at his half eaten tray of food, almost glaring holes into it. Day three and he was already sick of the food here, aside from being bored. He’s startled as the door opens and relaxes as the doctor from day one walks in. “Thank god it’s just you.”

 

Dr. Johnson chuckles and sits down beside the bed. “Afraid of another check up raid?”

 

“A lil’ bit.” he picks up the tray and sets it on the desk beside him. He frowns a bit and raises a brow at him. “So...what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“I’m just here to...well….for lack of better terms, check up on you. Kind of get a status update on how you’re feeling. Emotionally.”

 

“I really feel the need to blow this joint.” Johnson lets out a slight laugh. 

 

“A lot say that. But you have to stay for a couple more days. Hospital policy and all that.” he grins and glances back as the door opens.

 

“Hey Keith, I got some-” Shiro stops as he sees the doctor and is quick to shove the bag behind his back. “U-uh hello sir.”

 

Johnson chuckles again and stands. “I didn’t see anything.” he winks before walking out the door. Shiro stares after him before looking to Keith, who shrugs. “He’s pretty cool.”

 

“God I hope so. It was hard enough to convince the nurses this was for me and not you.” he shuts the door behind him as Keith scoffs. “Even with your charm and looks?”

 

“Keith. I am not a walking sex god.” he huffs as he sits down in the chair and pulls out a burger. Keith takes it gratefully and bites into it.

 

“Real food.” he groans out, causing Shiro to snort. “You must be ready to get out.”

 

“Oh fuck yes.” he chews and swallows. “I want to go back to taking the Championship is what I want to do.”

 

“...You do know you’re out for the rest of the season, right?” Shiro says softly, causing Keith to drop the burger and look to him. “What-”

 

“Look who’s here!” the door opens to reveal Pidge and Hunk. “Here to visit the sick boy-”

 

“Why are you guys here??” Keith questions as the door swings shut behind them.

 

“Dude, you think we wouldn’t visit a bro?” Hunk asks, setting down a pan onto the table while Pidge sets down some balloons that say ‘Get Well Soon’. Keith shakes his head.

 

“No, I mean-”

 

“How do we know?” Pidge interrupts. “You collapsed in the middle of a match, everyone saw it.”

 

Keith’s eyes widen. “I...what.”

 

Hunk gives him a concerned look. “You...really don’t remember?” he shakes his head before letting it sink into his hands. “Oh. God.”

 

Pidge sighs. “It really wasn’t that embarrassing. Everyone kind of panicked when you went down. If it wasn’t for Nad-” she stops. “ _ Natalie _ . Natalie, that’s who it was. Anyways.” she gives a slight shrug. “If it wasn’t for her quick thinking, you might not be talking with us now.”

 

“Natalie….who?”

 

“Don’t remember the last name. Maybe she’ll visit you. But for now you’re stuck with us.” Pidge hops up on the bottom of the bed.

 

“I don’t think he’ll be up for long.” Shiro muses. Keith silently curses him, knowing he’s right. 

 

“Yeah. They’ve been keeping me high on sleep medication.”

 

“Well yeah. The body heals better when it’s sleeping.” Hunk says. “Cause there’s no stress and all that.”

 

Keith sighs. “Yeah, yeah.” he looks to Pidge. “So how much homework am I getting stuck with.”

 

“Oh, just so much. There’s already a pile of it.” he stares her down. She stares back for a minute before smirking. 

 

“Nah dude, you’re excused until you’re out of the hospital.” Keith plops down into the bed. “Thank god.”

 

“Lucky you.” Shiro grumbles, causing Keith to laugh. “Land in a hospital and maybe you can get on my level.”

 

“Uh I think one Brogane in the hospital is enough.” Hunk says. “Besides, you know Matt would abandon everything if Shiro was in here.”

 

“I unfortunately know that’s true.” Pidge muses, crossing her arms. Keith nods a bit before looking to Hunk.

 

“Hey! Have you heard from Lance?” Hunk tenses a bit before nodding. “Like a month ago...he’s busy with school and college applications...you know.”

 

“Ah….I just wondered….because I tried to call him my first night here.” he shrugs slightly, looking down to the bed. “Kinda was hoping to see him..or talk. It’d be cool to catch up without going through his best friend.” he glances at Hunk, who gives him a shrug. Pidge hops off the bed, pulling out her phone.

 

“Mom wants me back home soon and Hunk’s my ride so…” Keith waves them off. “That’s alright, I’m starting to feel tired anyways.” he settles back into the bed. Shiro stands as well. 

 

“I would stay but..you’re kinda boring when you sleep.” Keith snorts at him. “I’m sure any person is.”

 

Shiro grins and settles a hand on his shoulder. “If you need anything-”

 

“Yeah, call you, I know. I’ll probably just be asleep until you’re back tomorrow.” Shiro gives a soft smile before reaching up and rustling his hair, causing Keith to scoff and push his hand away. 

 

“Night Keith.”

 

“Night Shiro.” he watches as the door closes behind all of them before resting back into the pillows. He swallows hard as he feels pain flare across his chest. 

 

“It’s been a year….why am I not over you?”

 

***

 

Keith breathes out harshly before inhaling, the barbell going down, then up. He repeats the motion, feeling his muscles shake slightly. Once more and he’s dropping the barbell onto the stand before sliding down and sitting up.

 

“Hey.” he starts as he sees Lance standing at the entryway of the weight room.

 

“Uh...hey. What are you doing here?” he snags a towel off the rack, wiping off sweat. He pulls the band out of his hair before retying it so it’s tighter to his scalp. Lance looks at him before becoming very interested in the floor. He brushes at a scuff with his shoe.

 

“I..uh…” he sighs. “I fucked up.”

 

“Isn’t that normal for you?” Keith moves on to the leg press machine, ignoring the look Lance shoots him. He hears steps as Lance walks in. Keith raises his feet, planting them against the flat surface. He moves the braces down and lets his legs slowly bend before extending them.

 

“For your information, no not really.” Keith rolls his eyes. “What do you need?”

 

“I kinda need a ride...I missed the bus.”

 

“Of course you did.” Keith mutters, continuing with his reps. “And...that’s my problem how?”

 

“Well...it’s not really your problem, I could...ask Mom for a ride.” he closes his eyes, hearing the drop in Lance’s voice. He puts the braces back up to support the machine and lets his legs rest back on the ground.

 

“I’ll take you home you goof. Give me twenty more minutes in here.” he pulls himself up. He stretches a bit.

 

“Twenty more?” Lance whines, causing Keith to roll his eyes. “You want a ride or not?” Lance glares at him before sighing and nodding. He walks away from him and sits down beside the door, pulling out his phone. Keith eyes him before moving over to a pull up bar. He jumps and his hands lock onto bar. He pulls himself up, resting his chin over the bar before letting himself hang all the way down. He pulls up again.

 

“Why did you miss the bus?” he questions as he continues, causing Lance to look up.

 

“Uh...I...well..I was putting the moves on a girl. Nyma? You know her.” Keith grunts in agreement, hanging before pulling.

 

“Anyways, it seemed she was charmed, all giggly and such...god she’s pretty.”

 

“What, she reject you?” Keith questions, hanging for a moment longer before dropping.

 

“Not exactly...she was using me to make her recent boyfriend jealous. Rolo.”

 

Keith sighs. “And you had no idea she was dating him.” he wipes his hands off on a towel. “Classic, Lance.”

 

“It wasn’t like that! I had heard they broke up and thought I had a chance!” he exclaims. Keith glances to him, seeing his look of distraught turn emotionless. He looks down. “Anyways...by the time Rolo came over to tell me to ‘back the fuck off’...the buses had left.”

 

“And now you’re stuck here with me.”

 

“Pretty much.” he looks over him. “Why are you here anyways?”

 

“Got to keep in shape. This doesn’t just happen. It’s easier to stay in your weight class if you keep training. Trust me, I learned my lesson after freshmen year.”

 

Lance chuckles. “Wrestling sounds way to hard. Track is much better.”

 

“Well that’s your opinion. I think there’s too much running.”

 

“Ah, the pavemented track, the 100 meter dash-”

 

“Don’t you do pole vaulting?” Keith questions as he grabs a bottle of cleaner and starts to wipe down the machines. Lance stands, sensing he’s close to done. 

 

“Mhm. Broke the record last year. But it’s not like I just do that one event.”

 

“Mmm.” Keith finishes cleaning the last one and sets it away. He tosses the towel into a basket full of other dirty ones and grabs his wallet, the keys jingling from it. “Ready?”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

***

 

“Why am I here again?” Keith questions from his seat beside Pidge, currently in the control booth with her.

 

“Because I asked if you were doing anything and when you said no, I decided to drag you to a rehearsal.” she replies, moving a few buttons along the panel. “It gets kinda boring up here.”

 

“Yet you have a headset on and need to listen to the managers down on stage.” he retorts.

 

“I have one ear open. Plus, I think you’ll like this.”

 

“Pidge. Being gay does not mean I’ll li-”

 

“Number one please!” a voice yells from down on stage and Keith looks to see the lead actor in all of her glory. She’s tall, with long black hair. The stage make up amplifies her facial expressions.

 

“Isn’t the lead for Mama Mia blonde?” Keith questions as Pidge fiddles with the sound board.

 

“She’ll be wearing a wig on show night.” she presses a finger to the headset. “Go ahead, Luna.”

 

“One, two, three…” Pidge listens as she counts up to ten and gives a thumbs up. “Thanks Kat!” Luna calls before going backstage. 

 

“Kat?” Keith snorts, causing Pidge to turn slightly red. “S-Shut up.”

 

He smirks. “You’ve got it baaaad-”

 

“I regret bringing you here, you should leave.”

 

“Good!” Keith stands, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

 

“Places, everyone!” the director calls. Keith pauses and glances back to Pidge’s smirking face to see her dim the lights. “Whoops. Good luck getting out in the dark.”

 

Keith frowns at her before slumping back into the seat. She shushes him as he grumbles, causing him to go silent. Music starts to play from backstage, pit band sounding good as the curtain opens. 

 

He rests his chin on his palm. This was going to be a long night.

 

 

***

 

“Stop!” a voice rings out, causing the music to pause about halfway through Does Your Mother Know. 

 

“Lights, please!” Pidge flips a switch, causing all the lights to turn on. The stage looks much less dramatic. Keith sits up straight, squinting at the stage as somebody lifts themself onto stage and stands. They walk up to the person acting Tanya and plucks the fake martini glass away from them.

 

“Lance?” Keith questions and hears a snicker from Pidge. “Oh, you didn’t know? He choreographed the whole musical.” his eyes widen.

 

“Holey shit.” Keith stares down at stage, watching Lance as he starts from the beginning of the song. His moves are much more fluid than the actor’s, almost in a hypnotizing way. Aside from the initial outburst to stop everyone, he calmly takes the actor through their steps, seeming to have endless patience. Once he seems satisfied he hops back down and takes a seat. 

 

Pidge lowers the lights once again and they start the scene again. The actor greatly improves, their dancing much more into the music and giving off the sexual vibe it’s suppose to. 

 

“Wow.” Keith breathes, glancing to Pidge. “That’s...incredible!”

 

“I almost couldn’t get him to do it. Aside from a little blackmail-” she grins “-he said as long as his name wasn’t put in the playbill, he’d do it.” her eyes focus back on the stage below her.

 

“Man, you should have seen him in the beginning when he was teaching. Everybody had the same reaction as you. Though much less gay.”

 

Keith splutters. “Wha-what! I’m not-Lance?! N-never-”

 

“Shhh! I have to pay attention now, we’ll discuss your massive crush later.” he glares daggers into her before crossing his arms and slumping down. He swallows hard as he watches the musical.

 

Nope. He’s not gay for Lance. Never.

 

***

 

He climbs down the ladder after Pidge and lets go as he hits floor. He follows her down the steps in the stands. The whole cast is seated in the front row, being talked to by the director. Lance leans against the wall, on the phone.

 

“-done. Yes, I know I said nine but we got done early. Can you..?” he pauses, listening. He sighs softly. “Yeah….I’ll wa-” Keith plucks the phone from his hand, causing Lance to whirl on him and gap in shock while he puts the phone to his ear.

 

“-sorry mi hijo, it’s just-”

 

“Nadia? I can bring him home, don’t worry about.”

 

“Keith? You are a lifesaver.” she replies. “Muchas gracias.”

 

“It’s really no problem, I’m happy to.” he grins. She thanks him again before hanging up. Keith hands the phone back to a still gaping Lance.

 

“When-”

 

“The whole time.” Lance groans and buries his head in his hands. Keith can see the red tint from in between his fingers and chuckles softly. 

 

“...You’re a pretty amazing dancer. Where did you learn?” he questions, causing Lance to glance up at him. 

 

“Why should I tell you? All you’ll use it for is blackmail.” 

 

Keith resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Fine, don’t tell me.” he heads to the doors and Lance is quick to follow after him. They walk towards his motorcycle in silence. Keith sits upon it and hands Lance a helmet before putting on one of his own. Lance raises a brow before getting on behind him.

 

“When did you get two?”

 

“A couple days back. I figured since I keep giving someone a ride on a regular basis..” he looks back at him before putting his helmet on. He feels Lance’s arms settle around his waist and revs up the bike.

 

They ride home in silence, the only sound of the motorcycle filling the chill air this late at night. Keith pulls into Lance’s driveway and stops, the light outside of the house triggered by the motion. There’s a pause before his arms slide away. Lance stands up, handing the helmet to Keith. They look to each other, watching the other silently. Keith ducks his head first, hooking the helmet onto the bike.

 

“Well...goodnight.”

 

“Keith, wait.” he stops, pausing and looking up to him. “What-”

 

“Here.” Lance holds out a wad of cash. “For gas money.”

 

Keith stares at it before pushing his hand away. “No.”

 

“No?? You’ve given me so many rides in the last month-”

 

“And most of them were to work on the project. Which, we’re about halfway done with now because of that. Don’t worry about it, Lance.” he revs up the bike and Lance grabs his arm before shoving the money into the collar of his shirt and racing towards the house. Keith gaps before jumping off the bike and running after him.

 

“McClain! I don’t need your money!” he manages to grab his arm before he gets in the door and drags him back out. Lance shoves at his face.

 

“Let go and take the fucking money!”

 

“Never! I don’t need it!”

 

“Dammit Kogane! Don’t fight me!” Lance shoves him backwards, but Keith hangs on and brings him with him. He lands hard in the grass, the air being knocked out of him as Lance lands on top. He sucks in a breath and flips them over, legs pinning Lance’s arms to his side. He reaches back and pulls one of his legs forward to completely immobile him. 

 

With his free hand, he pulls the money out of his collar and shoves it under Lance’s shirt. “I don’t mind giving you rides, Lance!” he pants out, looking down at him. Lance pants as well, staring up at him.

 

Keith finds himself staring back, breathing slowly returning to normal. He can feel the back of his neck heating up and drops his leg before standing up. He stands off to the side and offers a hand to Lance, who takes it and stands. A few of the paper bills flutter to the ground, coming out of his shirt. He looks down and Keith follows his gaze to their entwined hands. He drops his gaze, as well as his hand and steps back. 

 

“I’ll….see you tomorrow!” Keith turns his back and heads back to his bike, jumping on and practically speeding out of there.

 

***

 

He can see the grey light filtering through the shades from his laying position on the bed. His hand grasps hard at the sheets before slowly letting go. He buries his face into the bed.

 

Of course that night showed up in his dreams. The night that he realized he may have fallen in love.

 

He had been afraid back then. But now?

 

He would have had more time with him had he taken that chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo  
> Pretty cliche, I know, let me have my fluff lol
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opening night and a bonefire

 

Keith listens to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of the hospital. Well, pattering would be an understatement.

 

More like it was hammering down. Ah, the torrential rain season. It had come in fast too and he had reassured that he’d rather Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk stay inside and be safe rather than risk the flooded streets to see him. If he got too bored, he could always call them.

 

He sighs and curls over onto his side, tracing the stitches for what feels like the billionth time. It’s almost become a comforting gesture, aside from the wince that still happened when he accidentally hooked a nail on one. No longer hooked to as many machines, he had more room to move around. If he was careful not to pull on an IV, he could even walk around the smallish room. 

 

Even so, he still felt pretty sore, which was normal. So he ended up passing a lot of the time by playing games on his phone. 

 

Keith closes his eyes against the harsh light before letting them open again. Staring at the screen for so long was starting to strain his eyes. He sighs and sets it on the table before sliding his hand under his head. Sleeping was generally the best option, even if it was more napping than sleeping. He lets his eyes shut, listening to the rain.

 

***

 

Keith slams open the door to the small house, shutting it behind him before tossing his bag and flopping onto the couch, burying his face into a pillow.

 

His long groan is muffled by the fabric. Ever since the night Lance had tried to give him money he couldn’t get him off his mind. Everything he did seemed more sexy or cute, even when he was being annoying.

 

It didn’t help that he made the tragic mistake of offering to take Lance home every night. The feeling of his body pressed up against him on the bike was starting to bother him.

 

The musical wasn’t helping either. Everytime Lance would go on stage to correct a dance move or make it better he’d find his eyes on his ass. After being caught watching by Pidge he no longer sat in the control booth with her while he waited for practice to get done.

 

Speaking of the musical...he digs into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper that says ‘Admit One’ on it. Lance had offered the ticket to him since he had an extra one and he had nodded and said he’d come.

 

What a mistake.

 

He groans again and slowly pulls himself up off the couch. He spots his laptop on the table and watches it for a long moment before sliding it towards himself and opening it. He clicks on the Skype app and pulls up Shiro’s name before pressing Call.

 

It starts to ring, waiting for Shiro to pick up. Keith sighs after about a minute of ringing and goes to close it when the call is answered. “Keith?” Shiro’s breathless voice asks.

 

“Shiro I need help.”

 

“Help on- hang on a minute.” there’s the sound of rustling before Shiro’s face appears on screen. His hair is messed up. Keith snorts softly as Shiro pushes the laptop away from him, allowing Keith to see from his bare shoulders up. “Got bed head?”

 

Shiro huffs and pushes his hair back. “I was sleeping. Busy with college and all that.” Keith winces. “Sorry. I’m calling you over life and death.”

 

“Life and death??” Shiro asks in alarm, eyes widening. “What’s wrong??”

 

“I...kinda have this huge fat crush on a boy and don’t know how to go about it.” Keith says quickly, eyes looking down to the keyboard.

 

“...uh...what?”

 

“I mean, I know he’s bi, but I don’t think he’s interested in me? I kinda think he hates me and-”

 

“Um, Keith, uh-”

 

“Shiro, who the fuck is calling.” a voice behind Shiro groans and he turns a bit. “It’s just Keith babe.”

 

“Keith, hurry up and leave my boyfriend alone so he can come back to bed.” Matt says, causing Shiro’s face to flush red. Their voices get quieter as Shiro attempts to cover up the microphone.

 

“He needs love advice, Matt, I can’t just-”

 

“Did you say love advice??” Matt sits up straight, looking at the screen before shoving at Shiro. “Move, you aren’t gonna be any help, you’re dense as fuck.” Shiro grunts offendedly but moves aside to let the smaller have control of the laptop. His wide smirk appears and Keith just knows this can’t be good.

 

“Keith, honey, baby, this is what you gotta do…”

 

***

 

Keith peeks behind the curtain to the hallway of the dressing rooms and backstage. He can see everyone bustling about, even though it’s still an hour to the show. Some people are putting on clothes, some are getting their makeup done.

 

“Nobody’s going to bite you, go ahead.” Lance says from behind him, causing him to jump and move forward. He had once again given Lance a ride, since his parents couldn’t it make it to opening night. 

 

“Maybe not, but I’m not part of the crew.” Lance waves his hand dismissively.

 

“That’s fine. Honestly, the worse that’s going to happen is…” he trails off as Pidge rushes towards them and hides behind Lance’s back.

 

“They’re after me.” she hisses and Keith has to bite back a laugh. Pidge’s face is smeared in lipstick prints, basically everywhere except her lips. Lance barks out a laugh.

 

“And this is what I’m talking about. It’s kinda a tradition to attack the tech crew and stage hands with kisses by the actors.”

 

“Seriously??” Keith questions.

 

“Yeah. They all jumped on me at once when I was fixing Luna’s mic. Traitor held me down as they did it.” Pidge snorts, peeking out from behind Lance.

 

“Hey Kaaaatie~” a sing song voice calls out, sounding mysteriously like Luna. A slow smirk comes over Lance’s face and he hooks an arm around Pidge as she goes to escape.

 

“She’s over here!” he calls, holding onto a struggling Pidge as she kicks at his shins. “I will murder you in your sleep!” she hisses. Luna rounds the corner and grins widely. Pidge freezes as she looks at her before struggling harder against Lance. He smirks wider and holds her out to Luna, who easily grabs her.

 

“Curse my short arms!” she growls, causing Lance to snigger as she drug away from him. “She’ll be fine.” he comments, looking to Keith, who shakes his head but is grinning. He glances at the time. “I’ll wait outside...I really have nothing to do here.” he swears it looks like Lance pouts, but nods slightly.

 

“Alright, I’ll see you after the show then.” he grins and does finger guns at Keith before winking, causing Keith to roll his eyes, hoping the heat isn’t too obvious in his face. He gives a short wave before heading back to the audience seats and settling down into his, one that’s in the front row. He starts to play on his phone, waiting for the show to start.

 

***

 

Everyone is out of their seats, applauding as the cast does their bows and acknowledges the pit band and crew. It was a fantastic show for being put together by a bunch of highschoolers. Although Keith had seen the show plenty of times, it was much different when everyone was in costume, makeup, and there were no mess ups. The lights are turned on as the final piece of music stops, allowing people to see where they’re walking and where the exits are. Many family members head up to stage to give their kids flowers and congratulating them on a successful first night.

 

Keith sits back down quietly in his seat, allowing others to go ahead of him. It wasn’t like Lance could drive off without him, so he was willing to wait. 

 

After a few minutes the crowd starts to thin out to a few straggling family members and the crew, who are all quick to clean up. Keith stands, searching for Lance. Not seeing him out front, he heads to the curtain and almost runs straight into Pidge, who has a makeup wipe and is furiously scrubbing at her face. 

 

“Have you seen Lance?” he questions, causing her to stop and glance to him. “No? I thought I saw him walk out front.”

 

Keith curses and turns around, walking back to the front of the stage. He finally spots the other up on stage, talking with Luna. Lance’s eyes dart to him and he waves, causing Luna to look over her shoulder and wave as well. Keith hesitates before hopping up onto the stage and approaching him.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“We were just discussing the cast party. We have one after every rehearsal, just at different people’s houses. It’s actually at Ms. Leading Role’s house tonight.” Lance grins at him and Keith can practically feel the unspoken question. He hesitates before turning to Luna.

 

“Well...where do you live?”

 

***

 

Her house ends up being a few miles out of town in the country. Her parents had started a large bonfire and there was a long table with food upon it. When it seemed most of the cast and crew had arrived, it was announced that everyone had to be gone by 2am, which was fine.

 

Keith found himself sitting upon of the large logs that had been pulled up by the fire, a plate of finger food in his hands. As he picks at the food, he looks around, watching everyone mingle with each other. He spots Lance surrounded by a group, animatedly telling a story between bites of cake. He snorts softly, seeing him talk with food in his mouth.

 

His gaze moves on to the log next to him, where Luna and Pidge sit close together, looking deep in discussion. A laugh bubbles out of the taller and even in the dark he can see Pidge’s blush. He shakes his head a bit and looks down at his plate of food before taking about bite out of the sandwich.

 

“Want some company?” he starts as Lance swings over the log to sit beside him, grinning widely. Keith swallows the food.

 

“I thought you were story telling?” he asks, causing Lance to shrug,

 

“I only have so many of those. Besides, most of them are planning on playing a game-”

 

“Who wants to play Spin The Bottle?” a voice calls out, holding up a almost empty pop bottle. There’s a few shouts of agreement and a mass of the group moves to sit in a sort of circle. Keith rolls his eyes and looks to Lance.

 

“You aren’t going to join?” he shakes his head.

 

“Nah.” he goes quiet, staring at the fire. Keith watches him for a few moments.

 

“Do you want to go home?” he gives a shrug in response. “Not really. I...want to stay out but at the same time…”

 

“A bit...crowded?” Keith asks, getting a nodd. He sighs and gets up before grabbing Lance’s arm lightly. “C’mon.”

 

“What-where-”

 

“My place. We can watch movies or play games or something. Just text your mother in case you end up staying.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“No, I’m totally not sure, I just suggested it cause I thought it’d be funny.” Lance grins at the sarcasm in his voice and follows him away from the fire and towards where Keith parked. As Keith hands him his helmet Lance tilts his head. 

 

“Any way I’m ever going to get to drive this?”

 

“Not a chance in hell.”

 

***

 

“Ha! I win again.” Lance declares, pumping his fist in the air. Keith rolls his eyes.

 

“Beginner’s luck.”

 

“So was not! That took skill!” he retorts, grin wide. “I totally rock at it.”

 

“Whatever makes you sleep at night.” Lance pouts at him as he eyes the clock. “Wow...it’s already 1am…” Keith says, looking a bit surprised. Lance follows his gaze. 

 

“Well...do you want to continue playing?”

 

“Nah, let’s just put a show on.” Keith turns it over to the Netflix screen and starts to scroll through it. He sees Breaking Bad and gives Lance a questioning look. He nods in agreement and Keith starts the show. He reaches up to turn the lamp off.

 

“Hey Keith?” Lance questions softly, causing the other to look to him.

 

“I...kind of have something to tell you.”

 

Keith immediately feels nervous. “O-Oh? Well...that’s funny cause...I kind of have something to say too…”

 

“Well, just let me tell you real-”

 

“I think it’d be better if-”

 

“jUST LET ME-”

 

“NO I NEED TO TELL YOU-”

 

“I KIND OF HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU!” they both stare at each other as they yell at the same time. Their eyes go round.

 

“Wait what-”

 

“-did you say?” Lance finishes

 

“No, you first.”

 

“nO YOU!”

 

“GOD DAMMIT!” Keith grabs Lance’s collar and pulls him forward, pressing his lips to his. Lance is shocked at first, but is quick to catch on, hands slipping to Keith’s waist and bringing him closer.

 

Keith pulls back first, panting softly, a flush taking over his face. He practically melts at the sight of Lance, mouth slightly agape but his eyes are bright. His breath hitches as he moves in closer.

 

“Can we do that again?” Keith laughs breathlessly before slotting his lips against his once again, releasing his collar to let his hands tangle into his hair as he presses to him. A low moan escapes Lance, breaking the kiss. He gasps softly as Keith presses his lips to his neck, nipping the skin lightly. “W-wait.” Lance manages out, causing Keith to still.

 

“S-Sorry.” Keith splutters out, his entire face turning red as he moves slightly back.

 

“N-no, don’t be sorry.” Lance gives a slight grin. “J-just didn’t know you were so eager, Kogane. Even so…” he inhales “Do you mind if we just..cuddle?”

 

Keith nods his agreement. “Yeah, I’m down for that.” he pulls off of him before standing, fingers lacing through Lance’s and tugging him up. “There’s a bit more room on the bed than the couch.” he can see his cheeks tint red as he leads him to his bedroom. It’s a pretty average queen sized bed. Keith lets go to pull back the covers before crawling into it. Lance hesitates.

 

“Do you mind if I just sleep in boxers?”

 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Lance lets out a sigh of relief and Keith can hear the sound of his jeans being kicked off. After a moment his body sinks beside him.

 

“Little spoon or big spoon?” he asks.

 

“I don’t care.” Keith replies. After what seems like an internal debate he feels Lance roll over so his back is to him. He pauses before sliding up against him and letting his arm rest around his waist. Lance gasps, flinching away from him a bit.

 

“Why are your hands so COLD?” Keith snorts against his back and splays his fingers over his stomach, causing him to squawk in protest before grumbling. He feels Lance’s arm move until his hand finds his and entwines. A yawn comes out of him. “‘Night Keith.”

 

“G’night Lance.”

 

***

 

Keith sits up in the bed, looking down to his hands. He curls his fingers before laying them straight again and sighs softly. With thoughts of Lance and no more sleeping medication, he knows he won’t get much sleep.

 

Back then, he hadn’t slept much either without the help of some Nyquil. That bottle had been left untouched anytime Lance was around though. He was like a heatbox and despite how many times he protested when he shoved his hands up his shirt, he always let him keep them there.

 

He swallows, able to see Lance as he would wake up, blinking blearily at him and attempting a morning kiss, only to miss completely and hit his cheek, nose, or forehead.

 

Or the mornings when Lance would be the first one up, kissing at his skin despite his protests until he rolled over to kiss him back.

 

He can feel the empty ache in his heart and breathes out harshly. He would do anything to even see him again.

 

Anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. It may be the middle of the night and I kinda got impatient in waiting?  
> Oh well
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boyfriends at sporting events? I think so.

Keith reaches over and pulls his phone off the charger. The rain had yet to let up, though it wasn’t really a surprise at this point in the season. He looks at the slip of paper the doctor left him with the Wifi password on it and types it into the slot. He sees a connection  pop up and exits to the home screen. He looks through the apps.

 

Most of them wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for Lance. Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr...he sighs and clicks into Instagram. The screen loads before an image pops up, the latest one from Pidge’s ‘gram. He can’t help but grin at the photo, Pidge clearly taking a selfie as Luna presses a kiss to her cheek. Glancing at the date he can see it’s from about a week ago. The caption underneath has a bunch of hearts. He shakes his head and starts to scroll down. 

 

He didn’t follow very many people; just a few friends. He hesitates before clicking on the search bar and looking up Lance’s profile. He can feel the disappointment as he sees the last photo is still the one from about a year back. He had started to wonder if he made a new one to do a new start at his new place, but…

 

Keith shakes his head to clear it and exits out of the app. No, the only connection Lance left him was his cell number. He stares down at the phone and finds himself brushing his thumb over the home screen, the picture having not been changed. It’s of him holding his Championship award, still dressed in wrestling gear as Lance had pressed him close and snapped a photo with his long arms.

 

He chuckles at the sight of himself, sweaty, hair tied back, and flushed from the last pin he had made that year, while Lance looks near to perfect. Though, he always seemed to have that effect with photos. He never took a bad one.

 

He smiles slightly and sets the phone aside to stare up at the ceiling. He’s past the point of crying over him...well, at least for now. At first he thought the flashbacks were a curse but…

 

Now he craves them.

 

***

 

Keith pushes at a clinging Lance, only causing him to tighten his hold. “Babe!” he exclaims, pushing harder. “I’ve got to go!”

 

“Nah, you can stay a bit longer.” he huffs at Lance and struggles a bit more before stopping. Lance chuckles softly and presses his lips to his neck before rolling over on top of him. Keith raises a brow at him as they come face to face before grinning and leaning up to kiss him.

 

“You’re such a dork.”

 

“And I thought you were a wrestler, but you couldn’t seem to escape me.” Keith snorts and presses his forehead to his, letting his arms slip around his neck. “You aren’t in the same weight class.”

 

Lance scoffs. “Are you saying I’m fat?” Keith laughs and he can see his scoff turn into a grin before he’s kissing him again.

 

Keith totally doesn’t regret almost being late for the bus.

 

***

 

He can hear the roar of crowd as he jogs into the ring with the team. He blinks against the bright lights, quickly adjusting. He follows his team to their side by the red mat. He can see the timers set up for the four mats, as well the score boards near each one. He sets his duffle bag down and starts to stretch. A few people have already started to jog the mats to warm up, but he knows he’s going to want to thoroughly stretch before starting that. 

 

He steps away to the edge of the mat and sits. He reaches for his right foot, feeling the muscles of his left side being pulled, before switching to the left. He then reaches towards the middle, lying almost horizontally with the mat. 

 

A sharp wolf whistle pierces his ears and he sits up, looking around for the source. It comes again and his eyes settle on Lance, waving at him. He grins and raises his hand in greeting. He spots Pidge with Hunk, all seated together near the party bus that had followed the wrestling one down. Lance holds up a finger and reaches behind him. He pulls out a sign and flips it up. Keith squints to read it.

 

‘Is it gay if my boyfriend wrestles?’ Keith feels his jaw drop as well as his face heating up. He sees Pidge reach behind her and flips her own board up.

 

‘It is if he wrestles with you’ he buries his face into his hands and groans. “Lance, why.” after a few minutes he raises his head to look back up at them. He gives them a ‘why’ look and can see Pidge laugh from the floor. He sighs and stands before joining the other wrestlers as they run.

 

***

 

He stands as his name is called and slips on his head gear over his ponytail before walking to the center. The other guy is a little taller than him, but skinnier. Keith eyes him over as the ref speaks, something about clean match and all that, before letting them start. They move at the same time, instantly locking onto the other’s shoulders. Despite looking skinny, he can feel the strength in the others arms. He manages to hold his ground as the other shoves at him, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

 

“You sure are marked up. Your girlfriend must be an animal.” the guy says through gritted teeth. Keith smirks.

 

“Actually, those are due to my boyfriend.” he can see the shock cross the others face and uses it to his advantage, releasing him and adjusting his grip to shove his feet out from under him. The guy goes down with an ‘oof!’ and Keith is on him instantly, shoving his weight into the guy’s shoulders and hooking an arm around his leg, pulling it up. The guy struggles valiantly, but is unable to shake Keith as the ref lays down on the mat beside them. He slaps his palm on the mat and Keith lets go before standing. 

 

The ref stands as well and raises Keith’s hand, declaring him the winner. A cheer raises up from behind him and his hand is dropped. He pants softly and glances over to see Lance on his feet, hands megaphoned around his mouth as he yells. He grins and blows a kiss towards him as he walks back to his seat. He can hear several gasps from the crowd and smirked to himself.

 

Maybe Lance coming to his events wasn’t that bad.

 

***

 

Keith watches intently from the stands, eyes on Lance as he rests his chin in his hands. His boyfriend is currently on the field, waiting his turn to pole vault. More than once he can feel his eyes drag over his ass, though it’s not really his fault: Lance in spanx is pretty hot. 

 

He hears Lance’s name called and he grabs the pole that assists him in jumping. Keith leans forward slightly in his seat.

 

“Don’t touch it, don’t touch it, don’t tou-”

 

“Why the fuck are you whispering that?” Pidge hisses at him, jerking him out of his train of thought. He can feel his face heat up.

 

“I-I want him to do well…” he feels Pidge’s gaze narrow at him before looking away.

 

“Also it’s my job to touch the booty.” he mumbles to himself, eyeing Pidge to make sure she didn’t hear. He grins, seeing her gaze distracted by a certain tall girl on the sidelines. He hears a ping and watches as Lance clears the jump, landing on the mat. He rolls off of it as he’s applauded and heads back to the sidelines.

 

***

 

“Babe!” Lance calls as he catches up to Keith, panting slightly. He’s sweaty from the day’s events, not even have gone in the locker room yet to clean up. Keith’s eyes widen.

 

“Lance NO-” 

 

“TOO LATE!” his arms wrap around him and he kisses him deeply, holding on as Keith struggles. He breaks the kiss as Keith squawks. 

 

“You are so GROSS!” he howls, pushing at him as Lance continues to hold on. “Go shower first!”

 

“Maybe someone needs to teach me how to shower cause I can’t clean myself.” he waggles his eyebrows at him, grinning ear to ear. Keith stops before pulling him in close by his collar.

 

“I can get you REALLY clean babe; my showers are the best.” he whispers, causing Lance’s face to flush and gap at him. Keith smirks before letting him drop to the ground and walking away. He can feel the heat of Lance’s stare on his back and hears him scramble to get up.

 

“N-not fair!” he calls, causing Keith to laugh.

 

“All's fair in love and war.” he calls back.

 

***

 

Keith sucks in a breath as he awakens. Glancing at the clock, he can see he only got a few hours. He can see it’s still light outside. The rain has slowed down to a trickle, barely heard on the roof. He rolls over and picks up his phone. Seeing a new message on it, he opens it to see Shiro texted him that he’s coming soon. 

 

He sighs and drops his phone. Alright, time to calm down.

 

Time to stop thinking about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooo another one up, more to go
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom?
> 
> Prom

“So, we’re in the middle of practice and her microphone started to malfunction, so I went down on stage to fix it. After it started to work again she kissed my cheek and was like ‘thanks bae’, though I kinda shrugged it off cause it was an easy fix. I turn around and literally the whole crew was there with a sign that said ‘Prom?’.” Pidge shakes her head from her spot on Keith’s bed, but there’s a small grin on her lips.

 

“I don’t know how she did it, but when I turned back to look at her she was on a knee with this bouquet of flowers.” Keith chuckles softly.

 

“Sounds like a cute prom posal.” Pidge sighs. “It was, really, but I swear I’m going to do it first next year.”

 

“I’ve got the whole thing on tape.” Hunk grins. “I can show you it at some point.”

 

“Sounds great.” Keith grins. “Flustered Pidge is always great blackmail.” he ducks away as Pidge attempts to smack him. “Hey! Don’t hit the patient.”

 

“Patient my ass, you’re back to normal.” she snorts.

 

“You have what, tomorrow and then you’re out the next morning?” Hunk asks, Keith nodding in response. He gives him a curious look.

 

“What about Kai? Are you going to prom with them?” Hunk rubs the back of his neck.

 

“I-I’m not sure…”

 

“C’mon Hunk, you gotta go this year: it’s your last one.” Pidge says, crossing her arms. Hunk gives her a long look, before giving a slight nod. “I’ll see if they’re interested.” he turns back to Keith.

 

“What about you?” Keith tenses a bit before looking down. “I don’t exactly have a date..”

 

“Just come for the fun then.” Pidge says, sliding off the bed. Keith hesitates before shaking his head. 

 

“Nah. Not worth the money without the date.”

 

“Are you sure? Not even to hang with us?” Hunk questions. Keith waves him off. “I’m positive.”

 

A knock comes to the door, startling all three of them. A nurse peeks her head in. “I’m sorry to interupt, but visiting hours are over.”

 

“Already?” Keith asks, causing a snort from Pidge. “Yeah man. Your hours must be fucked up from sleeping so much.” she flinches a bit as she receives a glare from the nurse before she walks away from the door. Hunk bites back a laugh as he stands from the chair. “We’ll probably be back tomorrow after clubs and homework. You know. School coming first and all.”

 

“I know. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Shiro will wake my ass up.” Keith smirks. “No rest for the weary.”

 

“Weary? Ha.” Pidge opens the door, looking back to him. “You’ve gotten more sleep in here than I have in my life.”

 

“Stop spending your nights hacking and maybe your eye bags will disappear.” 

 

“Um excuse me, these eye bags are designer.” Pidge grins, causing Keith to snort. He gives a half salute as Pidge and Hunk walk out the door before sliding down into the bed. Honestly, he couldn’t wait to be back home. The bed definitely wasn’t the best and it was starting to take a toll on his back.

 

He sighs and rolls over onto his side, shoving the pillow under his head. 

 

Prom season huh.

 

He had completely forgotten about it.

 

Keith groans and shoves his face into the pillow. He was happy for Pidge and Hunk, really, he was.

 

But he still wished he was here to go with.

 

***

 

Keith walks out the front doors, Pidge close beside him, chattering away.

 

“-and then he was like ‘You should be doing your homework young lady, not working on...whatever this is’” she scoffs. “He’s the freaking computer teacher, Keith! He should at least have a basic understanding of coding. Though you should have saw his face when I showed him I was already done with the week’s assignment.” 

 

Keith laughs. “I imagine it’s a lot like how the Geometry teacher looked when you said you were a freshman and had the best grade in the class.”

 

“Quite similar actually.” Keith glances to her as she stops and stares. “Oh man.” she digs into her pocket and snatches out her phone. “I’m not missing this.”

 

“Missing wh-” he slows down to a stop as he stares at the person in front of his motorbike.

 

“Oh. My. Fucking. God.”

 

Lance stands out in front of his ride, dressed in wrestling gear. Keith can tell it’s an older set, but how he managed to get his hands on the set is beyond him.

 

He slowly walks towards him, already feeling his face heat up from the stares. “Seriously?”

 

“What?” Lance grins, hands still holding up the sign. 

 

“‘Will you wrestle me to prom?’ So romantic.”

 

“C’mon babe, it’s pretty clever.” he sets down the sign as Keith rolls his eyes. “You could have asked me normally.”

 

He pouts. “But that would be boring.” he slips his arms around his waist, pulling him close. “Well?”

 

“Well what?”

 

“Your answer?” Keith grins and leans up, kissing him lightly.

 

“Get out of the ridiculous uniform and we’ll talk.”

 

“Mmm I could use some help getting out of it~.” Keith snorts and shoves his shoulder lightly, pulling back. “C’mon you horndog, we need to get going.”

 

“Not till I get my answer.” he leans in, resting his forehead against his. Keith smiles softly and slides his fingers in his.

 

“Of course I will, dork.”

 

***

 

“How about this one?” Keith asks, pulling out yet another tux.

 

“Keith, I’m no fashion designer, but even I can tell that’s horrible.” Pidge says from her spot on the chair beside Luna. Keith huffs and drops it back onto the rack.

 

“It’s been like three hours and I haven’t found a single one that either of you approve of.” he starts to move down line again. “Maybe I should have went by myself.”

 

“You still would have came out with nothing because you don’t have a sense of fashion.” she snorts. “I know you want to floor Lance.”

 

“I already know he’s gonna look hot. He could make a trash bag look good.”

 

“Alright, I’ve heard enough.” Luna stands up, walking towards Keith. “Move.” she hip checks him out of the way and starts to move down the rack, fingers deftly separating the suits. After a couple of minutes she pulls a set off the rack and hands it to him. “Put it on.”

 

“But-”

 

“No buts, go put it on.” he narrows his eyes at her before taking it and heading to the dressing room. Once he’s in, he’s quick to pull off his clothes and looks over the suit. He sighs and starts to put it on.

 

“Oh no, don’t question the tall theatre girl who wears dresses and skirts.” he grumbles, sliding the jacket on. He straightens everything out before looking up at himself in the mirror. He finds himself staring.

 

Oh did he owe her an apology.

 

It fits like a glove and makes him look sharp. A simple black and white tux. Who would have thought. He pulls slightly at the collar. All he would need is a tie.

 

He takes a breath and steps out of the dressing room, making his way back to Pidge and Luna. Pidge gaps as he comes into view while Luna’s smirk only widens. “Well?”

 

“Damn, Lance is gonna have a heart attack.” Pidge says, looking him over. Luna nods in agreement and steps over to him, straightening out his collar before pulling lightly on the jacket to smooth the crinkles.

 

“I’m thinking you should gel your bangs back and put the rest into a ponytail. Also.” she buttons a hole he missed near his neck. “Red tie.”

 

“God, I’ve never worked with gel before.” she grins. “Practice makes perfect. I can drop by your place to help.”

 

He looks to her. “How do you know so much about this?” she shrugs.

 

“You pick up on it in the theatre business.” she steps back, scanning him over before nodding in satisfaction. 

 

“Now go take that off and rent it before I change my mind.”

 

***

 

Keith looks up at the door as there’s a sharp knock. He stands up and looks at himself in the mirror, straightening out the suit. He frowns a bit as another knock comes from the door and walks to it.

 

“I’m coming Lance! Geez, it’s not like we’re going to be late for the photo-” he can’t help but trail off as he sees Lance standing in his doorway. Pidge and Hunk had refused to let either of them see each other in their prom outfits until it was time for the photoshoot before prom. His eyes slowly move over him, taking in his outfit: a long white undershirt with a blue vest and tie, as well as black dress pants.

 

He swears he stops breathing.

 

“Wow.” Lance breathes, his face awed as he takes in Keith. “You look….hot. Except.” he reaches forward and tugs lightly at his tie. “You suck at tying.”

 

Keith snorts as he starts to undo the horrible tie job he did. “So romantic.”

 

“Hey! Gotta make sure everyone is jealous of my date.” he efficiently re ties the tie, straightening it out. His blue eyes meets Keith’s dark ones and he grins before kissing him lightly. “We should get going before my mother comes down on us.”

 

Keith chuckles and follows after him as they head out the door. “We could have taken my motorcycle.”

 

“And mess up our outfits? No thanks.” he sees the window to the car roll down and can see Nadia’s grinning face.

 

“Ay! Mi hijo and his novio are muy guapo!” she calls, causing Lance and Keith to flush as they approach the car. 

 

“Mama-”

 

“Don’t you ‘mama’ me.” she says as they get into the back seat. Her eyes meet Keith’s in the mirror and he can tell she’s smiling due to the creases around them. “Keith, make sure mi hijo doesn’t get into any problemas.”

 

“Mom!” Lance groans as Nadia chuckles and starts to drive. Keith grins widely.

 

“I’ll make sure Mrs. Mc-Nadia.” he catches himself before looking to Lance, who is still red. He leans up and kisses his cheek, causing him to look to him and smile before leaning forward and kissing him properly. They break apart as there’s a sigh from up front.

 

“They grow up so fast….soon they’ll be married-”

 

“mOTHER!” Lance squeaks, turning redder. “We aren’t even adults yet!” a laugh bubbles out of Nadia. 

 

“You will be in June.” she winks in the mirror at Keith, causing Lance to groan and throw his arm over his eyes. “Why don’t you bother mi hermana about this?”

 

“Because she’s in universidad across the country.”

 

“We’re still in escuela!” Keith can’t help but grin at the exchange, watching in between Nadia’s smirk and Lance’s flushed face. She pulls into the park and already prom goers are walking around, gathering in small groups or grinning at their parent’s cameras side by side. 

 

Nadia parks and unlocks the car, allowing Keith and Lance to step out of it. Lance waves and Keith follows his gaze to see Pidge waving back, her other arm linked through Luna’s. She has a floor length dress on, which starts out black at the top and slowly lightens to a bright green trim at the bottom. Luna is in a tux with a green bow tie that matches the green on the dress. 

 

Hunk is a bit off to the side, hands in his pockets. He has a style similar to Lance’s, except his vest is yellow and he has a black bow tie instead of a regular tie. He raises an arm and waves back to Lance. Keith grins and raises his hand slightly in greeting.

 

Nadia grabs Lance’s collar as he starts to walk towards them. “Hold on mi hijo, I’m getting a photo of you two before you escape.” Lance sighs dramatically. 

 

“Do I have to?”

 

“Yes.” she pushes him lightly into Keith, causing them both to flush, before directing them to an empty spot away from people. She pulls out her camera. Keith glances to Lance, who gives a shrug back and slips his arm around his waist, pulling him close before looking to the camera and grinning. There’s a click and a flash that causes Keith to blink rapidly afterwards. She frowns at them over the camera. 

 

“Look more natural.”

 

“How?” Lance splutters. “We don’t look nice together?”

 

“Awkward is what you look. Get closer!” They both look to each other before Keith pulls away to slip his fingers between Lance’s. He can see the confusion on his face and rolls his eyes before leaning up and kissing him, letting his eyes slide shut. He can feel the slight surprise before he’s kissing him back.

 

“Sí Keith!” he can hear a few more clicks before he pulls away, but Lance has other plans, slipping his arms around his waist and pulling him closer. Keith lets his hands slide up and rest around his shoulders. Lance smiles and gently rests his forehead against his.

 

“Awwwe, look how cute they can be.” they pull away at Pidge’s voice and glance over to her smirking face. 

 

“Speak for yourself.” Keith replies, looking pointedly towards Luna, who grins.

 

“We already know we’re cute: it’s surprising that you guys can be.” Lance gasps offendly and pulls Keith close to him. “We can out-couple you any day.”

 

“Oh yeah? Bet you can’t do this.” Luna smirks before easily sweeping Pidge off her feet and leaning in to kiss her. Despite her face turning beet red, Pidge slips her arms around her neck to kiss back. Keith side eyes Lance, who’s looking him over.

 

“Lance. No.” he sees him pout as Luna gently sets Pidge down.

 

“Alright, all of you get together for a group photo.” Colleen says, shooing them closer together. “Hunk, I’ll have the photos sent to your mother.”

 

“Thanks Mrs. Holt.” he says as he moves into the line with the others. 

 

“And where is your date, hijo?” Nadia asks as she moves beside Colleen, readying her camera. 

 

“We tried to find him one, but he wasn’t interested.” Pidge replies as she slips her arm around Luna’s waist to pull them together. 

 

“Yeah, he wanted to go stag and find someone there.” Lance grins, pulling Keith close as Hunk rolls his eyes. 

 

“No, I’m going with you guys. I doubt I’ll find anyone there.”

 

“I don’t know Hunk: prom can be magical.” Luna grins.

 

“Alright!” Colleen lifts her camera up to her eyes. “Everyone say prom on three. One, two…”

 

“PROM!”

 

***

 

“Alright everyone! It’s the moment you all have been waiting for!” a cheer rises up from the crowd as they disembark from dancing with each other to group around the stage where the DJ is blasting music. It cuts off as the principal talks into the mic, holding a card. Four crowns sit behind them on a stool.

 

Keith snorts and stays seated at the table he’s at with Lance, sipping at some punch. “They’re already announcing prom king and queen?” 

 

“It is about that time.” Lance says, emptying his own cup.

 

“It’s time to announce the junior prom court! Chosen by all of you.” another cheer rises. “This year’s prince and princess are-” he opens up the card “-Hunk Garrett and Shay Balmera!”

 

Lance is immediately on his feet, clapping and whistling for his best bro. Keith stands as well to see Hunk and a taller muscled girl walk onto the stage and accept their crowns. He joins Lance in clapping as he leans close to him. 

 

“I’m surprised it wasn’t Allura and Shay, considering they’re a couple.” he says, to which Lance shrugs. “The court isn’t required to be together: it just usually happens that way.”

 

The noise quiets down as the principal pulls out the next envelope. “Now, this year’s king and queen, are not in fact, king and queen.” he grins as the crowd murmurs in confusion. No king and queen?

 

“No, this year, we have two kings.” some people gasp in excitement, whispers trying to figure out who they are. Lance leans into Keith slightly. “Seems like some of the popular kids decided to pull a prank on the prom committee.”

 

“No kidding.” Keith replies as the principal holds up his hands to quiet the crowd.

 

“I am proud to announce this year’s prom king...and king…” the card is opened.

 

“Lance McClain and Keith Kogane!”

 

Immediately eyes are on them, people clapping and cheering, a few wolf whistles in between. Keith can feel the shock washing over him and blindly follows Lance as he pulls him through the crowd. He almost stumbles up the stairs to the stage and comes face to face with the principal, who smiles brightly and rests the crown upon his head before doing the same to Lance. He let’s his fingers slide in between his and feels a squeeze of reassurance. 

 

As the cheering starts to die down the principal clears his throat. “Now if you would please clear the floor for the prom court dance…” the crowd starts to disperse, lining up along the edges. Lance gently pulls Keith back down the stairs and out onto the floor. Keith spots Hunk speaking with Shay over Lance’s shoulder, who nods. He watches Hunk walk to the crowd as Shay beckons a dark skinned, white hair female to her. 

 

His eyes meets Lance’s as he pulls him close and lets his hand rest on his shoulder, the other still caught in his hand. He swallows a bit. “I…”

 

“I know...shocked.” Lance smiles a bit as the music starts. It’s a slow song. Keith shakes his head a bit.

 

“No...I...don’t know how to dance.”

 

Lance’s eyes spark and he smiles. “Just follow my lead and try not to trip over your own two feet.”

 

“Easier said than done.” Keith replies, but he leans in close to Lance, letting his body sway with him. He finds himself unable to look away from his eyes. A slow smiles crosses Lance’s face.

 

“See? Now let’s try spinning.”

 

“Wh-what? No-” Lance drops his hand from his waist and steps back, raising his other arm that’s connected with Keith’s. Keith panics a bit, but Lance moves him easily through the maneuver before pulling him back in. 

 

Keith grasps his shoulder slightly in retaliation. “Never again.” a laugh bubbles out of Lance as his arm settles around his waist again, pulling them close together. Keith can’t help but smile softly.

 

“I love you.” he sees Lance’s eyes widen slightly and feels his chest tighten.”I-I’m sorry I-” he tries to pull away but Lance tightens his grip and presses his lips to his.

 

“I love you too. So much.” the music fades and they pull slightly away from each other as whoops and cheers arise again. The music picks up the pace and people start to crowd the dance floor, bodies close together. Keith drags Lance out of the crowd towards a door and opens it, pulling Lance outside into the cool night air.

 

“Keith, wha-” he kisses him, efficiently shutting him up. He doesn’t let up until they’re both breathless and panting slightly. He can’t help but smile at the flush on Lance’s face as he pulls away. Lance gently brushes his hair back before leaning back down to kiss him softly. 

 

“Lance?” he asks quietly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Did you mean it?”

 

“Of course. I would never lie. Not to you.” Lance smiles and kisses his nose lightly. Keith hums a bit and rests his head on his shoulder.

 

“...Ready to go back in?”

 

“You bet.”

 

***

 

“Fuck.” Keith whispers at the empty room, feeling his heart ache at the dream. He swallows hard and sits up in the bed. 

 

He should really talk to someone about them. Maybe it would be easier to get him out of his head that way.

 

Keith drops his legs off the edge of the bed and stands. He walks to the window and opens the curtains, staring up at the full moon and night sky. It’s a clear night, the stars twinkling brightly down at him. Taking a quick look at the window he realizes he can’t open it to let a breeze in. 

 

He rests his head against the glass and starts to count in his head.

 

In, 1, 2, 3

 

Out, 1, 2, 3

 

He repeats it until he feels calmer and pulls back away from the window.

 

He hadn’t been this bad since Lance first left. Though of course, the dreams hadn’t started until recently. Maybe once the drugs were completely out of his system, they’d stop.

 

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um so hey! Been a little bit! Sorry, I was working on last minute cosplay for two cons two weekends in a row and theeeeen work got in the way but hey! I'm still alive! 
> 
> I was gonna update on the anniversary of VLD buuuut yeah. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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